Overview
- The White House and Pentagon offered no clarification, while experts say the National Nuclear Security Administration would likely need years to prepare the Nevada site for full-scale explosive tests.
- Moscow recently heralded trials of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile and a Poseidon nuclear-capable undersea drone, with Vladimir Putin claiming the systems are effectively impossible to intercept.
- China urged the United States to respect its commitments under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban framework and to take concrete steps to uphold global non-proliferation norms.
- Trump asserted that the United States has the largest nuclear arsenal, a claim contradicted by SIPRI estimates that place Russia slightly ahead in total warheads.
- Arms-control analysts warn the signals from Washington and Moscow could trigger a wider testing cascade as New START verification remains suspended and the treaty nears expiration.